Vanderbilt
A Dutch name signifying "bright biltpaid territory".
Name Census estimates that about 13 living Americans carry the first name Vanderbilt. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Vanderbilt today is around 84 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vanderbilt births was 1916 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vanderbilt. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Vanderbilt is about 84 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Vanderbilts were born before 1952.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Vanderbilt. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
13
~ 1 in 26,365,718 Americans
Peak year
1916
6 babies that year
Average age
84
years old
1955 SSA rank
#4,369
Tracked since 1890
Popularity
Vanderbilt: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vanderbilt from the 1890s through to the 1950s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 27 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Vanderbilt remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vanderbilt by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Vanderbilt during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Vanderbilt
The name Vanderbilt is a relatively modern creation, originating in the late 18th century. It does not have ancient roots in any particular language or culture, but rather is a combination of two Dutch words: "van der" meaning "of the" and "bilt" meaning "wooded hill" or "ridge".
The name was likely coined by the Vanderbilt family, a prominent Dutch-American family of industrialists and philanthropists. The earliest recorded example of the name is Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877), a shipping and railroad tycoon who amassed one of the greatest fortunes in American history during the 19th century.
Other notable individuals named Vanderbilt throughout history include William Henry Vanderbilt (1821-1885), a railroad magnate and the eldest son of Cornelius Vanderbilt. He doubled the family's wealth through shrewd business dealings and investments in railroads and shipping.
Another famous Vanderbilt was Consuelo Vanderbilt (1877-1964), a member of the affluent Vanderbilt family and a socialite known for her marriage to the 9th Duke of Marlborough. This union between American wealth and British aristocracy caused a sensation at the time.
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875-1942) was an American sculptor, art patron, and founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. She played a pivotal role in promoting and supporting American artists in the early 20th century.
Finally, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt (1877-1915) was a renowned sportsman and member of the Vanderbilt family who perished in the sinking of the RMS Lusitania during World War I, which was a significant event that helped turn public opinion against Germany.
While the name Vanderbilt has its origins in the Dutch language, it has become closely associated with American industrialism, wealth, and philanthropy, thanks to the legacy of the prominent Vanderbilt family.
People
Vanderbilt + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vanderbilt as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Vanderbilt: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vanderbilt?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 13 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vanderbilt going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 26,365,718 US residents.
Is Vanderbilt a common name?
We classify Vanderbilt as "Very Rare". It ranks above 33.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 80 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vanderbilt most popular?
The single biggest year for Vanderbilt was 1916, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vanderbilt is about 84 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Vanderbilt in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vanderbilt a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vanderbilt in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Vanderbilt still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vanderbilt in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Vanderbilt can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Vanderbilt?
Find out how many people share the name Vanderbilt on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.